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Verb Phrase Grammar Exercises: Level B1-B2 (with Answers)

⏱ Time: 07:30 📝 Questions: 15 📊 Level: B1, B2 📚 Type: Grammar ⭐ XP: up to +16 (on pass)

Track your Verb Phrase progress with 15 exercises at Level B1-B2. Take the quiz today, note your score, and retake it next week to see how much you have improved. Every question includes a full explanation so each attempt teaches you something new.

⏱ You have 07:30 to answer 15 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin.

Q1  15
Q1 15

Question 1: Sarah ___ her report when the power went out last night.

Question 1 options
'was writing' is correct because the past continuous tense (auxiliary 'was' + main verb 'writing') forms a verb phrase showing an action in progress at a specific past moment. 'writes' is simple present, 'has written' is present perfect, and 'written' is a bare past participle without an auxiliary.
Q2 15

Question 2: By next month, the team ___ the new product for six months.

Question 2 options
'will have been developing' is correct because the future perfect continuous verb phrase (will + have + been + verb-ing) expresses an ongoing action that will continue up to a future point. 'will develop' is simple future, 'has been developing' is present perfect continuous, and 'had developed' is past perfect.
Q3 15

Question 3: In a verb phrase, the auxiliary verb always comes before the main verb.

Question 3 options
True because a verb phrase is structured so that helping verbs (auxiliaries such as 'is,' 'have,' 'will,' 'should') always precede the main (primary) verb, as in 'She is reading' or 'They have finished.'
Q4 15

Question 4: In the sentence 'You must submit your application before Friday,' what does the verb phrase 'must submit' express?

Question 4 options
'must submit' uses the modal auxiliary 'must' to express obligation or necessity. It does not describe a past action, a repeated habit, or an action happening right now.
Q5 15

Question 5: Arrange the words to make a correct sentence:

Question 5 options
  • The students
  • should have reviewed
  • their notes
  • before the exam

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'The students should have reviewed their notes before the exam' because the verb phrase 'should have reviewed' requires the modal 'should,' then 'have,' then the past participle 'reviewed,' followed by the object and adverbial phrase.
Q6 15

Question 6: Which sentence contains a correctly formed verb phrase?

Question 6 options
'The children are playing football in the park' is correct because it uses the auxiliary 'are' followed by the present participle 'playing.' The other sentences have errors: 'are play' uses a base form after 'are,' 'is played' changes the meaning to passive without context, and 'playing are' reverses the auxiliary and main verb order.
Q7 15

Question 7: Customer: 'Is the manager available?' Receptionist: 'I'm afraid she ___ a meeting with some clients right now.'

Question 7 options
'is having' is correct because the present continuous verb phrase (is + having) describes an activity in progress at the moment of speaking. 'has' in this context describes a permanent state, 'had' is past tense, and 'will have' refers to the future.
Q8 15

Question 8: Which sentence correctly uses a modal verb phrase to express possibility, rather than a simple tense?

Question 8 options
'She might know the answer to your question' correctly uses the modal verb phrase 'might know' to express possibility. The other options use simple tenses ('knows,' 'knew,' 'will know') which state facts or certainties rather than expressing possibility.
Q9 15

Question 9: Put the words in the correct order:

Question 9 options
  • My brother
  • has never traveled
  • outside
  • his home country

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'My brother has never traveled outside his home country' because in a perfect tense verb phrase with 'never,' the adverb 'never' is placed between the auxiliary 'has' and the past participle 'traveled.'
Q10 15

Question 10: We ___ on this project for three weeks, so we deserve a break.

Question 10 options
'have been working' is the correct verb phrase because the present perfect continuous (have + been + verb-ing) expresses an action that started in the past and is still relevant now. 'work' is simple present, 'worked' is simple past (completed), and 'are working' describes only the current moment without the sense of duration.
Q11 15

Question 11: Look at this sentence: 'The report has been completed by the team.' Which statement about the verb phrase 'has been completed' is true?

Question 11 options
'Has been completed' is a passive verb phrase formed with auxiliary 'has' + 'been' + past participle, which shows the subject receives the action. It does not indicate an action happening now, it is not a simple past tense, and it does contain more than one verb word.
Q12 15

Question 12: Rewrite in the passive: 'The committee will announce the results tomorrow.' → The results ___ by the committee tomorrow.

Question 12 options
'will be announced' is correct because the passive transformation of a simple future verb phrase requires 'will + be + past participle.' 'will announce' is active, 'have been announced' is present perfect passive, and 'were announced' is simple past passive.
Q13 15

Question 13: Match each sentence to the correct grammar label.

Question 13 options
She opened the window to let in fresh air.
He should have called before arriving.
The boy reluctant to join the team was my cousin.
They are completing the final stage of the project.
Verb phrase functioning as an adverb (expressing purpose)
Verb phrase functioning as an adjective (modifying a noun)
Verb phrase functioning as a predicate (present continuous)
Modal perfect verb phrase expressing past obligation

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

Verb phrases can function as predicates, act as adjectives, act as adverbs, or form non-finite structures. Identifying the function of the verb phrase helps clarify its role in the sentence.
Q14 15

Question 14: A non-finite verb phrase always requires an auxiliary verb to be grammatically correct.

Question 14 options
False because non-finite verb phrases have a head verb in the infinitive, participial, or gerund form and do NOT require an auxiliary verb. For example, 'Walking in the rain' and 'To finish the task' are complete non-finite verb phrases without any auxiliary.
Q15 15

Question 15: Which sentence best expresses that an action was already finished before another past event occurred?

Question 15 options
'She had already left the office when her manager called' uses the past perfect verb phrase 'had left,' which expresses an action completed before another specific past event. 'was leaving' describes an ongoing past action, 'has left' is present perfect (not anchored to a past reference point), and 'left' simply states a past fact without showing sequence.